Public support for wind and solar energy among Americans dropped 22 percentage points from 79% in 2020 to 57% in 2026, according to a new analysis published by the Center of the American Experiment on April 3, 2026. The analysis draws from three Pew Research Center polls conducted between 2025 and 2026, revealing that Americans across the political spectrum have grown increasingly skeptical of renewable energy sources. The shift reflects growing concerns about environmental sustainability, cost, and service dependability.

The decline in renewable energy support varied sharply by political affiliation. Republican backing for wind and solar plunged 37 percentage points from 65% in 2020 to just 28% in 2026, while Democratic support fell 8 points from 91% to 83% over the same period. Public perception of solar's environmental benefits also deteriorated between 2021 and 2026: among all Americans, those saying solar is "better" for the environment dropped 9 percentage points, while those saying it's "worse" increased 5 points. Wind saw similar erosion, with Americans saying it's "better" for the environment declining 7 points and those saying "worse" rising 5 points. Republicans showed the steepest drop in environmental confidence, with 14% fewer saying solar is better and 10% more saying it's worse, while wind confidence among Republicans fell 12 points in the "better" category and rose 12 points in "worse."

On affordability and reliability, the 2026 polling revealed deep divisions. Among all Americans, 30% believe solar makes energy costs higher, 31% say it keeps costs the same, and 37% think it lowers costs. For wind, 28% of Americans see higher costs, 35% see no change, and 34% see lower costs. Republicans were far more likely to view renewables as expensive: 43% said solar raises costs and 44% said wind does, compared to just 20% and 14% of Democrats, respectively. Reliability concerns ran even higher. Nearly half of Americans—45%—said wind increases service unreliability, while 37% said the same about solar. Among Republicans, 67% believed wind creates more unreliability and 56% said solar does, compared to 27% and 20% of Democrats.

The report concludes that Americans "of all political stripes have been falling out of love with wind and solar renewables during the course of the 2020s" due to issues of "environmental unsustainability, financial unaffordability and service unreliability." Author Darren Nelson, a policy fellow at the Center of the American Experiment, argues that Minnesotans should also be reconsidering their support for renewables, citing the organization's prior research showing that Minnesota's rapid expansion of renewable energy drove up electricity prices. The report links the national polling trends to broader questions about whether renewable energy delivers on its promises of sustainability, affordability, and dependability—concerns that appear to be resonating more strongly with voters as the decade progresses and more communities experience the real-world trade-offs of energy transitions.